Til Death Do Us Part
by Rule12H8r
Summary: What happens in the aftermath of the season finale? When Jimmy finds Ducky on the beach? Tags to 9x24. Read, Review and Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

Jimmy Palmer stood behind his new wife with his arms wrapped around her waist and his face buried in her neck. Breena was doing her best to pack up so that they could go back and help Jimmy's family back in DC. After another kiss to her neck, she finally turned to look at her husband.

"I love you baby. But we need to hurry up if we want to make the next flight back home." Breena reprimanded gently before applying a tender kiss to Jimmy's lips. "Now go make sure Ducky is ready to go."

"You're right, you're right. I'll go find him." He said reluctantly, giving her another lasting kiss. "Be right back."

Palmer made his way out of Breena's hotel room and went to his mentor's room five doors down.

The young newlywed knocked three times on the door and waited. Nothing. Knocking again he still didn't get a reply. Jimmy took out the key he had for Ducky's room.

As he slipped inside he called out "Dr. Mallard? Did you finish packing? We're leaving soon."

Still, no answer.

Stepping further into the suite Jimmy saw a paper with the familiar script of the Scotsman he was looking for scrawled along the top.

_James and Breena-_

_I went for a walk on the beach. Just come out and let me know when you are ready to leave. I have already packed my bags._

_-Ducky Mallard_

Palmer put the paper down and headed downstairs, through the lobby, and to the beach.

Standing on the deck behind their hotel Jimmy cast a glance down the beach to his left. Empty.

Taking another step forward he shifted his gaze to his right.

For a moment he was frozen, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. "Doctor" he whispered to himself.

There he was, lying in the sand on the edge of the water, fallen over. Snapping out of his trance he broke into a sprint and yelled out at the top of his lungs "Dr. Mallard!"

As he reached his dear friend Jimmy dropped to his knees at his side and carefully turned Ducky onto his back. If was clear to his that the older man had a heart attack. Jimmy immediately began CPR.

"Get help! He went into cardiac arrest!" Jimmy called to her.

Breena ran out at the sound of her husband's scream. She let out a choked gasp at the sight before her.

"Get help! He went into cardiac arrest!" Jimmy called to her.

Taking a deep breathe she reminded herself to be as calm and rational as possible. These thoughts had her reaching for her phone and dialing 911, however it didn't stop the tears streaming down her face. She told the operator their situation and location. Help was on the way.

Breena, feeling helpless, perched herself next to the older man and grasped his hand as if it was her life that depended on it. Through tear-filled eyes she watched as Jimmy desperately tried to revive the man that meant so much to him. Breena hadn't known Ducky for long, but they hit it off right away.

The young couple was so focused on the man in front of them they didn't even hear or see the sirens and flashing lights of the ambulance until the EMT's quickly had them move out of the way. Ducky was carefully lifted onto a gurney and carried to the ambulance.

The two stared off for a moment frozen in shock, watching the ambulance disappear down the street. Needed to feel the comfort and support only the other could provide, they turned and clung to each other sliding to kneel on the ground as they did so.

They stayed like that, sobbing, clinging to each other in desperation until they heard a noise.

The familiar chiming noise that they knew to be a cell phone ringing. That's when they saw it.

Lying on the ground, not even a foot away from them, was Ducky's cell phone. The same phone that fell from his hand as he collapsed from the ground. The same phone that delivered the overwhelming news that sent him into cardiac arrest. Not that either of them knew what the cause was.

Hesitantly, with Breena still tucked into his side, Jimmy reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hi, is this Dr. Mallard?" The voice asked, concern filling his voice. James almost lost it again hearing his friend's name, but fought to remain in control.

"No, this is his medical assistant. Jimmy Palmer. Dr. Mallard isn't available. Um, who is this exactly?" He said simply.

"Hello Mr. Palmer. I am David Anderson calling from the emergency dispatch center in Washington, DC. I was informing Dr. Mallard about the explosion when he stopped talking. I heard yelling and sirens and could tell something was wrong." David explained. "Is the doctor alright?" he added.

Jimmy cleared his throat and braced himself for what he was about to say. "He had a heart attack and was lying on the ground when and ran out and found him." He could hear the other man take in a sharp breath, but didn't give him the chance to respond as a new thought rose up in his mind. "What explosion?"

"You weren't informed?" David asked.

"Um, no." Jimmy said thoroughly puzzled.

"That's odd. You should've gotten the call as well since you would have been needed. There was a severe explosion at the NCIS headquarters. You and Dr. Mallard were needed to come back so that you could handle the aftermath and do the autopsy of the victims." Palmer closed him eyes and felt a chill crawl down his spine. Breena looked up at him expectantly, wondering what could've drawn this reaction from him.

Jimmy took another deep breath before going into a more professional mode. "How many bodies?" he asked. The man on the other end of the call had the smallest of smiles cross his face at hearing those words. It was ironic that the medical assistant would use the same exact words as his mentor. _Must be a good student. This must be hard on him, they must've been very close._

"Undetermined. More are still being pulled from the wreckage as we speak."

"I'll be there in a few hours." Jimmy said. Adapting to his inner Gibbs he abruptly ended the call.

Breena cupped his cheek, turning him to face her. He read the look in her eyes. She wanted to know what was going on.

"It wasn't random. Ducky's heart attack was caused by panic and shock. There was an explosion at NCIS. It sound like it was really big and serious. We are needed to go back so that we can help identify the bodies and perform the autopsies." Jimmy explained. "I know today didn't go how you wanted. Not in the slightest. I promise I'll do everything I can to make it up to you, but I need to do this. I have to go back and help my family."

Breena smiled and placed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Hey," she said softly "they're my family too now. Go. Do your job, make sure they're ok. I'll stay here with Ducky."

They stopped for a moment, taking in all that happened in just the past twenty minutes.

"I'm so sorry honey. Today was so important for you, for us. Now our honeymoon is postponed and we are going to be apart for at least a few days and our wedding day ended in tragedy and" He cut himself off when he saw the loving expression on his bride's face. "What?"

"I love that you wanted today to be perfect. And you know what? The day itself might not have been the best, but that's not what matters. What matters is that we still got married. We exchanged the rings, the vows, the 'I Do's' and the kiss. We are still in love and that's what today was all about. Our love, and I love you because you are the most caring, amazing person I've ever met and you would do anything for the people closest to you. Right now the people closest to you need your help, and I'm okay with that. Now" she said standing and pulling her up with him "let's get you home."

They shared a loving look of pure adoration for one another before walking up to their hotel room to retrieve Jimmy's bag.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour and a half later Jimmy sat down in seat 22b of the plane. He glanced at the seats to either side of him and sighed, he knew they would be empty because he knew exactly who was supposed to be sitting there. Ducky should've had the isle and Breena was meant to be sitting in the window seat. He would be alone with some peace and quiet throughout this flight.

Resting his head in his hands with his elbows on his knees he thought _why us?_ But in the back of his head he knew exactly why. Those people, HIS people risked their lives every day to protect others.

The plane took off and as the two hour flight passed a million thoughts went through the young man's mind all at once.

_Is Team Gibbs okay?_

_Will Dr. Mallard make it?_

_Did anyone I know get hurt?_

_What if I was there when the bomb went off?_

_Who would've taken care of the bodies?_

_Am I getting help in autopsy when I get back?_

_Did the director make it out in time?_

_Was Abby still in her lab? That's always the last place to get evacuated._

He couldn't stop the typhoon of fears and worries and possible outcomes from stirring around in his head.

"Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare to land." Came a stereotypical flight attendant voice over the speakers. "I hope you enjoyed your flight. Thank you and have a great day."

Sighing Jimmy leant back, buckled up and waited to get off. As soon as he was grounded on land in the airport he frantically searched for where his baggage claim was, grabbed his luggage, practically ran outside and hailed a cab.

Palmer dropped his bag into the trunk. Sliding into the backseat he took a deep breathe trying to calm down and organize his thoughts. Now he was home, he had a job to do and he needed to be completely focused.

The cabbie turned his head toward his passenger. "Where we headed?" he asked as they began to pull out of the parking lot.

Jimmy was caught off guard by the question. It wasn't at all unexpected, he just wasn't sure how to answer.

_Where am I going?_ He silently asked himself. The local police station? The dispatch center? NCIS headquarters?

Leaning forward toward the driver he took a wild guess. "NCIS headquarters? It's at-" he was cut off by the driver though.

"Yeah, don't worry kid. I know where it is. Saw that place on my way here. Looks pretty beat up. Why you goin' there?"

"I work there and I'm needed to help get everything sorted out."

After a long silence they turned down the street. Most of it was taped off. The whole area was filled with ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks.

Jimmy leant up toward the driver again. "I'll just get out here. They're not going to let you through." He said getting out his wallet to pay the man.

"Alright, well good luck. I hope everything turns out okay." He answered pulling over and excepting the cash from the man behind him. Jimmy nodded his thanks before getting out of the car, grabbing his bag and walking over to the tape.

When he got there he was stopped by a policeman. "No civilians beyond this point."

"I was called to examine the bodies, I'm a medical examiner for NCIS."

"Sorry bud, but without a badge or ambulance you aren't getting in."

Before Jimmy could respond he heard a familiar voice call out from behind the man. "Let him in. He's authorized." Jimmy looked toward voice and let out a relieved breathe. If he wasn't holding onto the handle of his luggage he would have dropped to his knees right then. There, sitting in the back of an ambulance was none other than Leroy Jethro Gibbs sitting next to Abby while she got her leg wrapped.

The cop lifted the tape for Jimmy to enter. He knew Gibbs was someone he did NOT want to mess with right now. Jimmy ducked under the tape and pulled his suitcase behind him. It wasn't until now that he realized in his scrambled rush to get here he forgot to drop his suitcase off at home. _Well, too late now._

Gibbs stood as Palmer approached him. "Where's Duck?"

"You might want to sit down for this." Jimmy said indicating something was wrong.

Gibbs simply raised an eyebrow as a stone mask fell over his face. He knew that no matter what happened he would have to stay strong. He was needed here to do his job still. His team still needed him.

Palmer took a deep breath knowing that Gibbs wouldn't actually sit down he got straight to the point. "He is in the hospital back in Miami with Breena. Dr. Mallard had a heart attack."

For just a moment his mask fell before quickly returning when Abby jumped up behind them and yelled out "What?" Neither of them had realized that Abby was sitting right behind them listening intently.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! This can't be happening. It just can't! First no bachelor party, then no wedding. Now NCIS is practically gone and we still need to find Tony and Ziva and poor Timmy's in a coma and you don't get your honeymoon and we still haven't found Dearing and now. Now…" She cut her own rambling off for once as she broke down. Tears fell across her face and she sat back against the wall of the ambulance and brought her knees up for her chin to rest on and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Jimmy was frozen in shock. Dearing being caught was surprisingly one thought that hadn't crossed his mind in the past four hours. Not once in his mind did he put together that the bomb was caused by Dearing. And now also finding out about McGee, and that half of Team Gibbs was still inside somewhere. Coming out of his shock he looked over to see Gibbs sitting down to whisper soothing things into her ear.

Jimmy couldn't help but give a small smile seeing Gibbs acting so much like a father to his surrogate family. Jimmy couldn't hear what was being said, but he did see Abby nod and wipe some of the tears from her face. She seemed to calm down quite a bit by the time Gibbs placed a small kiss to her hair and they both stood up.

Abby reached forward, encasing Palmer in a bear hug. When she stepped away, smiling slightly at the sight of the ring on her finger. Even though they couldn't have their honeymoon right away and the NCIS family couldn't come, Jimmy and Breena were now officially married.

Gibbs went right back into boss mode. "Abby go see how McGee's doing. Call if anything changes. Palmer, Vance is over there. Ride with him back to the local police station. NCIS will be operating from there until we find a temporary building while we wait for this one to be rebuilt. I'm going back in to get the rest out. We need to find DiNozzo and Ziver."

Abby nodded quietly, giving Gibbs a tight hug before going to her car. She was glad she had to park further away from the building today since the lot was so full. Jimmy made his way toward the director, glad to have another one of his coworkers safe and some more of his questions answered.

Vance clapped him on the back before they got into his car and drove down to the station. The next few days would be some of the hardest he's ever had.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the long wait on this chapter. I'm not really used to doing multichapters and having to update. **

* * *

Jimmy felt more than a little awkward as he rode to the station with Director Vance. Vance visited autopsy fairly often, but Palmer rarely got a word in edgewise. Ducky, being the man of a thousand words typically took over those conversations. _Ducky. I hope he's alright._ He snapped out of his thoughts as the director spoke.

"Where's Donald?" Leon finally asked, figuring he was probably just driving there himself, but still trying to make polite conversation.

"He won't be coming back for at least a short while." Jimmy said as calmly as possible.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked genuinely confused, although judging from the look on the younger man's face he wasn't too sure he would want to hear it, especially after the day he had.

"When we were in Miami for my wedding Dr. Mallard went for a walk on the beach just before we left. I went out to let him know we were leaving soon. He was lying on the ground, not responding." He took a shuddering breath before continuing. "He had a heart attack. I don't know how he's doing; I came here almost right after. Breena, my wife, is staying with him."

For a moment Leon looked completely shell shocked. After everything that happened here, back at home base, it just didn't seem right that someone who was out of harm's way was still hurt.

"If you need one I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find you an assistant. Temporary of course. I'm sure Donald will be fine soon. He's a strong man."

Jimmy, while not quite the trained profiler, saw that Leon was deeply trouble by the older man's situation.

"I don't think I could handle working with someone else just yet." He admitted. Gently Palmer added "I'll let you know how he's doing as soon as possible. When I know something, you'll know something."

Leon gave a small nod showing his thanks as they pulled off the street and parked outside of Jimmy's house. "I'll be right back." He said getting out of the car and walking to the trunk.

Vance popped it open for him and Jimmy pulled his luggage out, reclosing the trunk.

Jimmy quickly ran inside, put his luggage on his bed and jogged right back out of the door.

Hopping back into the passenger seat, he and Vance rode in silence for the rest of the ride to the police station.

When they got there Vance pointed Palmer in the direction of autopsy. "Get yourself settled in there. The bodies should be here shortly." Vance instructed solemnly.

"Yes sir, thank you for the ride here by the way." Jimmy said politely. He was his boss after all, and Jimmy was raised to respect authority.

"Not a problem Mr. Palmer." The director said before nodding Jimmy toward his temporary office and leaving to go to his new desk as well.

Jimmy walked down the hallway into the autopsy room. It was much smaller than the one he was used to at NCIS with only three tables, a metal desk, a filled bookshelf, and a door leading to the freezers. Palmer looked through the shelves and desk drawers, trying to get situated with his new workspace. He didn't want to feel unprepared when the bodies got here so he set out to collect all the tools he would need for the day.

Not long after Jimmy had lined his tools up on a tray next to one of the cold metal tables his phone rang. He didn't even bother checking the caller ID he knew exactly who it was. She had her own ringtone on his phone.

"How is he?" Jimmy said as soon as he pressed talk, getting straight to the point.

"He's good. He will be fine. The hospital wants to keep him for a few more days, make sure he stays stable. He woke up this about an hour ago and asked where you were. I told him you went back to DC for work; he remembers the call about the explosion so he understands why you had to go so soon. He's sleeping now." Breena rambled, not leaving out a single detail.

Jimmy slumped down into his seat, feeling more relieved than he had since that morning. It felt so much longer than that for him. With all that happened in the past 24 hours he could've sworn he and Breena had gotten married weeks ago, not that morning.

"Thank God." Jimmy breathed out. "Well, what are you doing now?"

"I was just about to walk down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

It wasn't until now that Palmer realized the time. It was already nearly six o'clock. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, which was fine by him. He was too sick with worry for his friends to have eaten anything.

"Alright, well I'd better go. I've got to get to work on these autopsies." He said seeing an EMT member coming through the door wheeling in a body bag, with a somber look on his face. Today had really taken its toll on everyone.

"Okay, take care Jimmy. I love you." She said, sounding concerned. She knew today had been ten times harder on him than it had on her, and she felt like an emotional wreck right about now.

"You too sweetie, I love you." He ended the call after that and stood up to meet the man.

"We have about twelve more waiting, so we'll be putting most of the in the freezers for now until you can get to them. Some of the bodies will be going to another station that offered their assistance." He informed.

"Alright. Let's get this one up on the table and I'll help you guys get the rest in here as well." Jimmy answered.

The other man simply nodded and went to one end of the gurney and Palmer went to the other. On the count of three they lifted the body bag up onto the cold metal table. He didn't bother unzipping it yet. He knew that inside that bag could easily be one of his friends. He did hear Gibbs when he said they hadn't found Ziva or Tony yet.

Twenty minutes later they had nine bodies in the freezers and the remaining three filled the tables. Jimmy said goodbye to the EMT men, knowing it was likely that another team would come later with more bodies. It was obvious that people would be working all night, including himself, to get everything sorted out.

Jimmy had never been more nervous to perform an autopsy in his life. Slowly he opened the bag and took a look at the victim's face.

Not surprisingly, but still just as painful, Jimmy recognized the girl immediately. A tall brunette with a pale complexion and burns and lacerations cover her entire left side. She was new at NCIS, a probie that only started a month or two ago. He met her when Ducky and he were giving a demonstration of an autopsy to a group of ten new agents. She was one of the few that left the room without being disturbed by the body enough to get queasy.

Jimmy shut his eyes tightly as he had flashbacks of seeing her there, in the break room, and hallways.

In the past month she became a familiar face. The kind of person you always saw around, but didn't talk to very often.

Jimmy quickly opened his eyes and preceded with the examination knowing the longer he thought about it the harder it would be to continue. He had a lot of work to do.

He dove into his work whole heartedly that night. This was why he did what he did. Helping the families of these victims. Giving them closure and allowing them to conserve their bodies long enough for their loved ones to say a final goodbye. He had to do this. He didn't stop that night until he finished with those twelve bodies. By the time he was done another eight were being brought in, but it was nearing four in the morning and the director told him to get some sleep and come back tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously:_

Jimmy didn't stop that night until he finished all twelve bodies. By the time he was done, another eight were brought in, but it was nearing four in the morning and the director told him to get some sleep and come back tomorrow.

_Meanwhile:_

Gibbs and the group of firemen he was with were finishing clearing the third floor as the dust finally settled and there was still no sign of his two missing agents.

With everyone out of the first the floors they made their way to the stairs to clear out the fourth level. _I hate taking the stairs; I wish the elevator still worked. _Gibbs thought to himself although he would never say that out loud. The tough badass marine sniper whining about having to take the stairs. _The elevator, that's it! _ He detoured to the side away from the group.

"Hey what are you doing? You know the damn elevator broke." Called out one of the firemen.

Being Gibbs, he completely ignored him and grabbing a crowbar walked determinedly to the elevator doors.

Putting his ear up to the crack between the closed doors he listened. His hopes continued to brighten when he heard the murmuring of two very familiar voices.

"DiNozzo, Ziver! You in there?" He yelled.

The murmuring stopped and the sound of shuffling feet and scraping metal indicated that they heard him.

"Boss! Yeah, we got stuck in here in the explosion. I've got a broken arm and minor breathing troubles. More worried about Ziva. Looks like a mild concussion and a big gash in her side from the ceiling tiles." Tony called out.

"I am fine Gibbs. Did everyone else make it out?" Ziva added, meaning her team plus Abby.

"We're all safe once we get you too out." Gibs said before wedging the crowbar into the space between the elevator doors.

Once they were open Gibbs took a look down to see where they were. They were closer to the third floor than the fourth, but they could still climb out from where they were stuck.

Two other firemen were at his side by this point try to pull up the rest of the ceiling tiles so that Tony and Ziva could get up and out.

"Move out of the way. I'm coming down." called the tallest fireman, Steve.

Tony put his good arm around Ziva's hip and pulled her into the far corner of the shaft. Steve gripped onto the side of the elevator before carefully lowering himself down, trying hard not to make any abrupt movements. The last thing they needed right now was for the shaft to drop four stories.

Steve turned to the agents and nodded for Ziva to go up first. He braced his hands for her to step up on while Tony boosted her up some more by her waist. Gibbs grabbed onto her hands and lifted her the rest of the way.

Steve turned his head to look at Tony silently telling him to step up on his hands like Ziva did. Tony shrugged and gave a small smirk.

"Now I'm warning you, I think I might be a few pounds more than the ninja over there." He said in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit before boosting himself up on Steve's hands like Ziva did and reaching to grasp at the edge of the opening. Gibbs and the other fireman each grabbed an arm. A few moments later he was out and kneeling next to Ziva, who was sitting Indian-style on the ground with her eyes shut tight.

While he rubbed her back and whispered soothing things into her ear trying to distract her from the obvious pain her concussion was causing Steve was pulled up, out of the elevator as well.

The three men stood and looked at the two sitting on the floor. Finally Gibbs spoke up.

"You two need to get yourselves checked out. There's plenty of EMTs in the parking lot and in the street. Just find one of them, get patched up and go home. Sleep, recover. I'll call you in the morning." He instructed.

Surprisingly they were both so out of it right now that they simply nodded and headed toward the stairs ahead of the other three, except they were going down. Gibbs noticed the way Ziva's arm was wrapped around Tony's middle. She clung to him as if he was her final lifeline.

Gibbs figured now wasn't a good time to tell them he knew they would eventually break rule twelve and that he was okay with it. They needed this, each other. They needed someone who knew about their weaknesses and troubling pasts and would be there to help them unpack all the baggage they carried on the other's baggage. They were partners first and foremost, Gibbs knew that no matter what they would always have each other's backs.


	5. Chapter 5

Jimmy was just getting home when he got the call about Tony and Ziva.

He felt a sense of calm wash over him as he dropped down unceremoniously onto his bed. All of team Gibbs was safe. Hopefully those next eight bodies would be easier without the fear of finding one of his closest friends in a body bag.

Lying in bed alone all he wanted was to hear Breena's voice, but noting the time figured he should wait until a decent hour, when he could give her his undivided attention without sleep deprivation clouding his mind.

Besides, if he knew his wife he could take a swing in the dark and say that Breena hasn't gotten much sleep tonight either. She would've wanted to stay up just in case something happened with Ducky.

_In a hospital in Miami, Fl._

Breena tossed and moaned in her sleep. She sat in a hard, plastic chair next to Ducky's hospital bed. Even in her sleep she still grasped his hand in hers. Breena didn't know him long, but in that short time they formed a quick connection, hitting it off immediately. In the two years they knew each other Breena began to see Ducky as her grandfather, much like Jimmy had.

And right now she snaps her eyes open, afraid that when she looks her Grandpa would be gone. His warm hand in hers and the steady beeping of the heart monitor reassures her that he is fine. He is safe, alive, and recovering. Deliberately slowing her breathing, she forces herself to get some sleep. She wishes more than anything that she had her husband by her side right now.

The team wasn't completely out of the clear yet though.

McGee was still in a coma. The doctor cleaned up all of the cuts from the glass, but there was nothing they could do about the coma. "It's the body shutting down so that it can recuperate." Dr. Warley explained to Abby earlier that night. "There is no telling when he will wake up. Maybe hours, maybe weeks. He will wake up when he's good and ready."

Now, Abby lay in the hospital bed tucked into McGee's side while he still lay unconscious. The nurses allowed Abby to stay the night under the false notation that she was his wife.

Abby had only been asleep for an hour tops when she woke again to a stirring next to her.

The sleepy clouds vanished from her brain completely when she realized what was happening.

_Timmy's waking up!_ She thought excitedly. Abby jumped up and rushed her way to the closest nurse's station. After some frantic rambling spewed from her mouth the bewildered nurse simply got up and followed the Goth down the hall.

Walking into the room the nurse, RN Lisa, understood what was happening. She calmly walked over to the machines at Tim's bedside while Abby stood on his other side, squeezing his hand. Abby mentally calmed herself when she saw that the RN clearly knew what she was doing.

Tim's eyes fluttered open before he squinted them shut again in an attempt to hide from the bright lighting of the sterile room he was in.

He began coughing, trying to clear his throat so the nurse reached over and removed the breathing tube. He inwardly smiled seeing Abby standing at his side holding his hand. He opened his mouth to talk, but once again found himself coughing to clear him throat.

Abby reached over and handed him a cup of water with a straw in it for him to drink. The nurse adjusted the bed so that he could sit up before leaving the room.

McGee accepted the cup and took a few sips before clearing his throat in an attempt to finally get out what he wanted to say.

"I got it Abby." He said softly, a small smile gracing his lips. His claim left Abby completely puzzled, she really didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about.

"Got what Timmy?" She asked.

"The file. Everything we have on Dearing. We're gunna get him Abs. As soon as I'm better I can go with the team and-"Tim cut himself off. "The team Abby! Where are they? Is everyone okay?" He panicked. He couldn't do this without his family there by his side.

Abby reassuringly squeezed his hand and gave a gentle smile, knowing she had good news for him. "Everyone is going to be okay. They will probably be here to see you in the morning." Tim relaxed into the bed hearing this. They stayed quiet for a moment until suddenly something clicked in Abby's mind and her eyes snapped back up to meet his.

McGee noticed this and didn't exactly know what was wrong, but he stayed silent figuring that he was about to find out.

"That's why you weren't out in time wasn't it?" She whispered. "You stayed, risking your safety in the process, to save that file." Her voice was beginning to rise.

"Yeah Abs. I stayed to save the information we had on Dearing." Abby now dropped his hand and straightened up, hands on her hips, chin jutting out, and feet braced determinedly on the ground. Her entire poster just screamed _I'm pissed._

"What the hell McGee? You could've died in there. You were supposed to leave as soon as you knew about the bomb!" She reprimanded. "What were you thinking? I- the team needs you. HERE. With us." Abby continued her rant before quietly adding. "With me."

They stayed silent for a moment, purposely not meeting each other's gaze.

Finally Tim noticed that she seemed to be a bit calmer after getting all of that out. He picked her hand up again in his own. Entwining his fingers into hers he let their hands rest on his chest with her hand underneath. Abby caught on to what he was doing as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"It's still beating Abby. I'm okay. I got out alright? We all got out and everything is going to be fine. Okay?" He comforted.

Abby moved to lay down beside him. She rested her head next to their hands and listened. The steady ba-dum ba-dum brought her comfort as a single tear slowly made its way down her cheek. Tim felt her nod against him and he softly kissed her hair.

"Sorry Timmy. I was so worried about you. I thought I lost my best friend and I guess today just messed with my head." She admitted, her words muffled by his shirts.

"It's okay. I was worried too."

They fell into a comfortable silence, basking in the feeling of simply being together.

Their thoughts remained synchronized as they both wished they were still dating and that the other would take them back. Not that either of them was ready to admit that yet. They had only just gotten the courage to admit it to themselves.

Together they slept like that, wrapped in each other' arms, soaking up just as much comfort as they were providing.


	6. Chapter 6

Jimmy Palmer awoke to the blaring sound of his phone ringing. Groaning, he attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes as he reached over to see who was calling. If it was any other day he would've let the caller leave a voicemail and gone back to sleep, but with all that was going on he knew it could be something important.

"Hello?" Jimmy said groggily.

"Jimmy." His wife smiled at the sound of his voice. After spending so much of their time together she really missed him the past few days, especially with it being such a tough time. She just wished that she could be there for him, with him, but right now her place was in Miami, with Ducky making sure he was safely recovering.

"Hey Breena. Everything okay?" He asked, worried that something might have happened to his older friend while he was gone.

"Yes, actually everything is great. Ducky is getting a lot better actually. He's much more animated than yesterday, even telling stories again." She giggled.

"That's great, so do you know when you guys can come back home? I miss you." He added the last part softly.

"The doctor said he needs Ducky to stay for another two or three days just in case to make sure everything is back to normal before we leave." Breena informed him. "Ducky wanted to talk to you actually, if you have time."

"I'd love to. I've got plenty of time." He said enthusiastically.

"Okay, let me go get him." She paused for just a moment, "And Jimmy?"

"Yeah Bree?"

"I miss you too. Love you." Jimmy smiled into the phone, she really was perfect.

"I love you too hun."

Jimmy waited for someone to come on the line. He heard the shuffle of feet, followed by the sound of a hospital curtain being opened before hearing the murmur of chatter as Breena gave the doctor the phone.

"Good morning Mr. Palmer." Ducky greeted. He sounded cheerful, yet still so much older and sicker than he had the last time they spoke.

"Dr. Mallard! Hi, how are you feeling?" Jimmy's spirits felt incredibly higher as he heard his mentor's voice.

"Getting better by the minute my lad, and how is everyone at home? I trust everyone is safe." Ducky questions, at this point he simply refused to believe that any of his friends were too seriously affected by the explosion.

"Yes, everyone made it out. McGee was in a coma last I heard, but I haven't gotten any news on him since yesterday, so I could be wrong. Everyone else is good, I can't say as much for the headquarters though. But I guess that is another discussion entirely." Palmer responded.

"Oh, I hope the dear boy is alright. And how are you James? How are you handling the work and what not? It's not often you get to be the head medical examiner, or do you have help?" Ducky said trying to push away the subject of the tragedies surrounding their family.

"I'm doing okay. I am head ME for now, but we have a few people helping take some of the load off from different offices in the city. It's not so much doing the autopsy that I'm having trouble with as it is-"Jimmy was cut off as the man on the other end finished his sentence for him.

"The victims. Yes, it is perhaps the hardest part of the job, seeing a familiar face on that cold, steel table. Well, I wish you the best of luck, but I should let you get to work. I'm sure you are very busy today." The doctor said in a polite way of dismissing the younger man, knowing that he had a lot to do as well as a lot on his mind.

"Alright, well I hope we can talk later. Feel better Dr. Mallard." Jimmy replied.

"Thank you, but you know you should feel free to call me Ducky, just as everyone else does."

Jimmy felt himself tearing up a bit at this. Never once had the older man mentioned that he was okay with him using the endearing nickname. It felt like a barrier that had been between them just shattered before his eyes. They were no longer coworkers, or even mentor and apprentice. They were equals, they were friends. They were family.

"Well, have I good day Ducky. I will try to call later, when I get a chance." He managed to get out without his voice breaking.

"Goodbye James. I look forward to that." Ducky said with a smile, ending the call and handing the cell phone back to Breena.

Jimmy sat at the foot of his bed and listened to the dial tone as he soaked up what just happened.

Smiling, he pushed himself off the bed and got ready to head back to the office.

Once he was ready he grabbed his keys and cell phone as he walked out the door. Looking down at the screen he saw the symbol at the top lit up, meaning he had a text.

Opening it, he knew that he would have good news to share with Ducky when he called later on. It was a picture message of Abby, Tony, and Ziva surrounding Tim who was lying awake in his hospital bed with Gibbs off to the side talking to the doctor. McGee was in the clear. The whole team was out of harm's way now and everything would be back to normal in no time.

Walking outside he hopped in his car and drove to the office.

His day was pretty much spent the same as the last night. Basic autopsy, trying his best not to think about _who _exactly was lying on that table or reminiscing in thoughts of the people he knew that he would never talk to again.

Jimmy finished around dinner time and he was finally caught up with all the autopsies and had no more left. Glad to finally be done he cleaned up his workspace and made his way to the hospital. He missed his family.

On the way out he saw Director Vance standing next to his car who was just hanging up his cell phone.

"Mr. Palmer." He called out.

"Yes director?"

"You finished with all the bodies?" Leon asked.

"Yes sir. Um, do I still come here tomorrow?" Jimmy asked feeling only a little nervous talking to the director for what was still only one of the first times.

"Well they are doing one last sweep of the building for anyone they missed so there might still be a few more here for you tomorrow. So come in tomorrow at the same time as usual, but if there is nothing more for you to do I think it's only fair to give you the day off."

"Alright, thank you." Jimmy answered.

"You will be informed as to where to go on Wednesday for work sometime tomorrow. We are still working on finding a temporary workspace until HQ is all cleared up." Vance informed.

"Okay. Well, have a nice night director."

"You too." He said simply before they both got in their cars and drove their separate ways.


	7. Chapter 7

Palmer walked up to the nurse's station and was greeted by a very tall, dark man wearing scrubs very similar to his own.

"Hey, are you new here? You should be wearing your nametag." The man asked.

Jimmy was confused for a moment before grasping what he meant.

"Oh, no. I don't work here. I'm an M.E. for NCIS. I just got off work and didn't have time to change."

"Oh, sorry for the confusion. Well, what can I do for you?" the man said.

"I was coming to visit a friend of mine. Could you tell me what room Special Agent Timothy McGee is in?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, sure. Just one second." He said sitting down behind the computer and typing the name into the database. "Timothy McGee, room 312. It'll be on your right just down that hallway." He informed pointing down the hallway to their Jimmy's left.

"Thank you." Jimmy said with a little half- wave as he headed down the hall.

Palmer stood outside the open doorway and gave a small knock to the doorframe before heading in. Walking inside he saw Tim sitting up on his bed with Abby sitting at his feet. Tony and ZIva were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the otherwise unoccupied bed next to Tim's. Gibbs was sitting in the chair by the window watching his team interact.

On the table beside McGee's bed was a vase of black flowers, obviously from Abby, and some get well balloons with a little card that said 'Feel better –Tony'.

When he walked in everyone turned to face him. He got an arrangement of greetings from his peers and a silent nod from Gibbs. Tony waved his over as he and Ziva moved to make room for him to sit down with them.

Before moving to the now available space Jimmy first gave Tim a friendly man-hug saying the typical 'Glad you're okay'.

Jimmy sat down next to Tony who gave him a clap on the shoulder.

They stayed that way for a long while, making lighthearted conversation and staying away from subjects involving their misfortune. It wasn't until about half past nine that they were interrupted by anyone other than Tim's nurse.

Jimmy brightened up a bit when he saw the caller ID.

"Hi Ducky, how are you?" he greeted upon answering. The team looked to him with gentle smiles as they tried to picture what was being said on the other end of the line. By the smile Jimmy sent back they could guess that whatever was being said was good. That guess would have been right.

"Hello James. I am good thank you. The doctors said I am recovering nicely and that as long as there are no complications tonight or tomorrow I can leave either tomorrow night or the next morning. So I should be home by Wednesday."

"That's great doctor! I can't wait to see you again. I assume you won't be staying alone for a while after you get home. I would love, and I'm sure Breena would agree, for you to stay with us until you are ready." Jimmy offered, the quiet murmur of hushed conversation around him continued.

"That would be lovely thank you, but only if you are sure of course. I wouldn't want to impose and I'm sure I would be able to stay with someone else if you don't. I don't want you feeling obligated to care for me like this."

"No, of course not. We would love having you around. Honestly, it wouldn't be any trouble."

"Alright, well, then I suppose I will take you up on that offer." Ducky agreed. "Now have you any news on Timothy, my boy?"

Jimmy was glad to have good news to share.

"Yes, he is going to be fine. I am with him and the team now actually."

At this his friends turned back to him, knowing they were the topic of discussion.

"Ah, wonderful!" The doctor said cheerfully.

"Yes, if you'd like I can put you on speaker?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

Palmer pressed the speaker button and held his phone out so that it was in the center of the small group.

A chorus of "Hi Ducky!"'s greeted the older man.

"Hello, I trust everyone is well, yes?" He questioned.

The team assured him that they were all fine. The conversation continued for a few minutes, but Jimmy was really the only one who stayed quiet for most of it. He already spoke with him so there was really nothing more to tell. Instead, Jimmy opted to watch the chemistry between the team. It amazed him how well they knew each other. Not once did their talking overlap and they all seemed to telepathically know who would talk when.

That was just how close-knit of a group he was part off. They simply understood each other without the need for words.

It wasn't long after they finished talking to Ducky that people started heading home for the night.

The next day Abby, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs went to the next temporary headquarters to continue the hunt for Dearing. He had a two day head start and they couldn't let him win this. It simply wasn't an option.

Jimmy went into the local station to wrap up anything else early before taking the day off. They only found one body that they missed in the wreckage the first time through, so Palmer was able to get out of there by 10:30.

McGee was alone last night and this morning so Jimmy went and kept his friend company.

The day went by fairly quiet, just playing video games on McGee's laptop. At around 8:45 McGee's cell phone went off.

Reading the caller ID, he answered the phone.

"Hey Tony, what's up?" McGee answered.

"We got him McGee!" Was all Tony said, but barely hidden in those four little words was the most joy any of the team had felt in weeks.

"That's great! What happened?"

Jimmy looked on, confused as to what was so great.

_A new lead maybe?_

He ignored it for now and continued playing the computer game.

Tim finished the conversation a few minutes later and turned to friends.

When Jimmy looked up Tim had a huge grin plastered from ear to ear. Jimmy didn't know what was going on, but that smile was infectious and couldn't help but breaking into a grin himself.

The team was able to catch one of Dearing's men red-handed, just as he was planting a bomb on a Navy ship.

Gibbs brought him down in interrogation and he cracked right away. He was being blackmailed into doing it and was happy for an easy out.

_It's over, _Jimmy thought. _ We got him!_

"And the best part," McGee added jokingly "I wasn't there, so I don't have any paperwork to do when I get back."

They high-fived and continued to sit there laughing, feeling more relief than they ever thought possible.


	8. Chapter 8

After a quiet night alone in his house Jimmy was eager to visit McGee again.

The house simply didn't feel right without Breena there, the bed felt empty without her in his arms, the lounge was too quiet without her voice, the dinner table too dull without her smile to brighten the room.

He couldn't wait for her to be back so that they could spend their first night together as a married couple. This was just another reason why he hoped they would be home soon.

Besides, if Breena and Ducky could come home soon it would mean that Ducky was better.

James knew that the doctor was recovering, but he couldn't help but worry for the older man.

Jimmy drove to the hospital with thoughts of the two people he was closest to overtaking his thoughts.

He snapped out of his little daydream as he pulled into the parking garage. Looking around, a smile graced his features at the sight of both Abby's hearse and Ziva's mini cooper.

At least he still had the team around to take his mind off of things.

Making his way to Tim's hospital room he sent a nod and a smile to Andrew, the nurse he spoke to the first time he visited Tim here.

Jimmy slowed down as he walked up to the room and tapped lightly on the door before entering.

His friends were sat in the same seats they were in the first time they came here. The only difference was that Gibbs wasn't there. _Probably at home, building a boat._

McGee seemed much better today. He was wearing his own basketball shorts and an MIT t-shirt as opposed to the hospital gown he was last seen in. Today McGee wasn't lying down either.

Since he had only one little tube attached to his wrist instead of all the mechanisms that were hooked up to him before he had a better range of motion and opted to sit up on the edge of his bed.

Noting that Tony and Ziva, much like the last time he had seen them, left not a single inch of space between them. It was obvious that there was a change in the relationship, you could feel it the moment you entered the room. _Maybe they finally saw what everyone else sees. _Jimmy thought. _Dammit, that means I owe Abby thirty dollars._

He gave a small half wave to everyone as he walked into the room. A combination of greetings followed him as he grabbed the chair sitting by the window and pulled it up to the rest of the group.

"You seem better today Tim." James inquired with a pointed look at the computer geek.

"I feel it. Hopefully I'll be out the day after tomorrow." McGee answered with a smile. It's not that he hated hospitals, he hated feeling helpless.

Jimmy was excited at the news. Ducky and Breena would be back the next day and McGee was getting released the day after.

The day went nicely, only being interrupted by the nurse. Gibbs stopped by and checked up on everyone before leaving, saying he still had some reports to file.

It was a calm day filled with the constant hum of conversation, occasionally switched out for one of the movies from the stack Tony brought with him.

The final credits of The Godfather were rolling when Ziva asked Jimmy a question.

"Are you coming to class today?" She asked him.

Most people couldn't tell, but hidden under those baggy blues scrubs was a toned, hard-earned, athletic body. Jimmy liked staying healthy, and one of the main ways he did that was through Pilates.

Ziva learned this one day when they ended up in the same Pilates class a few years back. They now regularly went to the classes together. In the mix of all that had been going on, working out had been the last thing on Jimmy's mind. He hadn't really thought about it until now, but he knew he would be going. Not only was the Pilates good for him physically, but emotionally as well. It always managed to help the young medical assistant clear his mind in times of stress.

"Yeah, I think I will." James answered. "What time is it?"

"There is a class at four today that I was planning on attending."

"Sounds good." Jimmy said checking the clock on the wall above the door. It was now 3:17 "I should head home now and get changed if I want to get there on time."

Ziva nodded in response. The team expected her to get up saying she should go too, but reading their minds she shook her head. "I have a locker at the gym. I can just change there, so I still have a little while before I go."

Abby, Jimmy, and McGee nodded in response but Tony still had a confused expression on his face.

Ziva closed her eyes as if she was just realizing something. Having a silent eye conversation like they usually do, Ziva then turned to Abby.

"Would you mind driving Tony home later? I gave him a ride here." Ziva asked her gothic friend.

"Sure." Abby said with a mischievous smirk. _If they drove here together does that mean they spent the night together? They left the office late last night and were here by 7:30 this morning. _The scientist wondered.

Jimmy left after that to head home and change into some workout clothes.

Wearing gym shorts and a Nike t-shirt James entered the room reserved for today's class. As he walked in he spotted Ziva and went to place his mat next to hers.

He nodded to her and smiled in greeting, but before he could get a word out the instructor entered the room and began class immediately.

An hour later Jimmy felt great. He felt strong and his head was cleared. He and Ziva were chatting as they rolled up their mats before they left. Their conversation however, was interrupted. It was the instructor, Nick, who was tall, and well-built with dark brown eyes and spiked, jet-black hair.

"You did very well today, as you always do Ziva. Perhaps you would get more out of your work outs with a private lesson?" He said more than a little suggestively.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I enjoy the larger class with my friends." Ziva said politely, ignoring his obvious flirting.

"Well, perhaps we could talk some other time then. Dinner Friday night?" He continued relentlessly.

"No thank you."

"Alright." Nick was starting to sound desperate. "A movie, Saturday night?"

"I didn't reject you because I am busy. I declined because I have a boyfriend." Ziva explained, clearly losing her patience.

Nick spared Jimmy a lingering glance. Ziva noticed this and added to what she said before he could get a word in.

"No, not Jimmy. It is absolutely none of your business, although I will tell you his name is Tony and I couldn't be happier than I am with him."

Nick saw the look in her eyes as she spoke of this Tony and could easily see how much she truly cared for the man.

"Sorry, forget I even said anything." He backtracked. "See you guys here next week!" He finished cheerily, jogging backwards a few steps before turning around and walking the rest of the way to a small group of his students.

Ziva knew that she would have to talk to Jimmy about what he just heard and took a deep breath in preparation.

"Since the night after the explosion. We weren't planning on coming out to the team for a while now. Gibbs knows and accepts it." She quickly blurted out.

Jimmy had an amused smile on his face before doing something he never thought he would be comfortable enough with the former assassin to do. Jimmy leant in and encased her in a supportive, friendly hug. Ziva didn't respond as she was slightly confused as to why she was receiving the hug.

"I won't tell anyone." He said softly before pulling away.

They smiled at each other and went outside to their cars. Jimmy was just about to get in his car when he called over to Ziva, who was a few cars away.

"Hey Ziva?"

"Yes?" There was a brief pause where they could each feel that the next thing said would bring a smile to their faces.

"I'm really happy for you. You two are going far."

And bring a smile to each of their faces it did.

"Thank you James. We are in this for the big haul. I cannot imagine mine and Tony's relationship ending."

Jimmy didn't bother correcting her when he spoke again.

"Best of luck to both of you. I hope your wedding day goes a bit smoother." Jimmy said without and bitterness in his tone. They both knew he was a bit upset about what happened, but it didn't matter as long as he was spending the rest of his life with the one woman he truly loved more than anything else in the world.

They shared another smile, then got into their cars and drove off to their respective homes. Once there, Jimmy spent the next two hours talking to love of his life while Ziva curled up onto her couch to watch a movie with her movie buff boyfriend.


	9. Chapter 9

Jimmy was in a great mood the next morning when he woke up. Last night he talks to Breena and Ducky for ages and they would be on a flight back to DC today. He would be able to pick them up from the airport during his lunch break.

Once he was ready for work he did a quick once over of the house, taking extra care of the guest bedroom where Ducky would be saying for the next several weeks. Assured that everything was perfect, Jimmy grabbed his things and went out to his car.

In his hand he held a small slip of paper. Written on it was the address of the empty warehouse that the county allowed them to rent for the time being. In just one day they had many offices, MTAC, three labs (including Abby's), and the morgue downstairs.

After stopping by Abby's lab and team Gibbs new bullpen he went down to acquaint himself with yet another new autopsy.

Like the one down at the police station, it was small compared to what he was used to. _The luxuries of a federal budget._

The morning was pretty average. The team caught a case and as usual Jimmy got lost on the way to the crime scene.

Getting there, he realized with worry, this would be the first time he had to examine a body from a case on his own. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath before stepping out of the van.

"Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the way here."

"Rule 6" was all Gibbs said as the both kneeled next to the body while the younger man received a fairly-earned head slap.

"We really need to get you a GPS or something." Tony murmured inoffensively, loud enough for everyone to here.

As they processed the scene Jimmy could see Ziva, who was bagging and tagging, and Tony, who was taking photos down the hall. They were talking softly to one another. Ziva said something to him and Tony sent a look to Jimmy.

Jimmy only smiled and winked in return. He knew about their relationship and Tony knew that Jimmy knew. Everyone was in mutual understanding.

Finally after another four hours Jimmy was allowed to go pick up his bride and friend from the airport.

He left the temporary building after telling the team where he was going and waving on his way out.

He arrived at the terminal early and stood anxiously pacing back and forth near the entrance his family would be coming through shortly.

He was excited. He couldn't wait to see them after the past few days he had.

Jimmy heard a stampede of footsteps and stilled, looking up.

Coming down the entryway was a parade of people. Mothers guided their children by the hand. Teenagers ran to hug their friends who were awaiting their arrival. Several walked right on to the baggage claim, knowing that no one would be there waiting for them.

Then he saw them. He saw first the flowing blonde locks, then the fedora of the shorter man next to her. He had the biggest smile on his face as he rushed to greet her. She put her bag down by her feet and buried herself in his embrace, kissing him firmly on the lips.

"I missed you." She whispered into his ear as they hugged.

"Missed you too baby." James responded before pulling away. He dropped another kiss to her soft lips and turn to the older man.

"Hello, Doct-ehem, Ducky. How are you feeling?" Jimmy greeted wrapping the older man in a loose hug.

"Improving every day, my boy. How are you? How is the team? And Timothy?" The questions seemed to pour out of him.

When James pulled away he gave the man a once over, noting his pale complexion and slight weight loss. Not too much, just enough to notice if you saw him as much as Jimmy did.

"That's great, I am wonderful. The team is healing. Tim will be out of the hospital tomorrow. The team caught a case this morning, so I have to head back to the office after I drop you guys off at the house." Jimmy said as he picked up the bags and led them back out to the car.

"I was actually looking forward to seeing the team. Would you mind if I came back to the office with you?" Ducky asked.

"Are you sure you're up to it doctor?"

"Yes my lad, I'll be just fine. Don't you worry."

Jimmy and Breena shared a momentary glance. Breena knew exactly what he was thinking.

_How could I not worry? _ Jimmy knew this would be difficult. His friend seemed so weak, so fragile. It was simply his natural instinct to want to protect him; he had to make sure Ducky stayed safe. Jimmy couldn't afford to lose the man who over the years guided him, taught him, adopted him, and implanted himself into his family.

Breena gave him a look that said she understood exactly what he was going through and completely agreed. _Let him do this, Jimmy. He needs to be with his family right now. He needs to see him._

They pulled away from their silent conversation and turned back to Ducky.

"Alright, then. We'll just drop Breena off at home and drop your bags off at the house first. Then you and I can head on over to the office." Jimmy said as they approached the car. "Sound good?"

"Perfect." Ducky proclaimed, opening the trunk after Breena unlocked it.

They shared a smile before Jimmy hauled the luggage into the back of the car while Breena hopped into the back seat and Ducky circled around to the passenger side.

Jimmy closed the trunk and slid into the driver's seat.

They drove in silence, with the occasional casual conversation. Twenty minutes later they were parked outside of Jimmy and Breena's townhouse. All three of them got in the car and Ducky and Jimmy helped bring the bags inside. Breena's bags were placed in the same spot Jimmy's sat in the days before. Breena led Ducky into the guest bedroom where he placed his suitcases on the bottom end of the bed.

"Thank you again for letting me stay here for the time being. Hopefully I will be strong and healthy enough to go home soon." Ducky said.

Breena let out a deep breath and turned to him. "Ducky," she started gently "we invited you here. We love you and want you to be here."

"Well, I appreciate it none the less, my girl." Ducky said, rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

"You are welcome here anytime you need." She replied wrapping an arm around him in a small hug before pulling away. Breena walked Ducky back out to the car where Jimmy stood leaning against the driver's door.

Jimmy kissed Breena goodbye, saying they would back for dinner and Ducky bid her farewell with a small kiss to her forehead.

Breena waved from the driveway as they pulled away and disappeared down the street.


	10. Chapter 10

Jimmy and Ducky stood in the elevator in silence as they remained in their separate thoughts. Ducky wondered how everyone was coping with the tragedies that they came across in the past week.

_How is the team? How are they getting on while down one team member? How is Abigail dealing with Timothy's injury?_

Meanwhile, as Ducky stared off deep in thought, Jimmy watched the doctor. He knows that Ducky said he was feeling better, and still improving, but he couldn't help but worry.

_What if he has a relapse? Is he going to come back to NCIS? Will this affect him mentally?_

They just snapped out of their own headspaces when the silver metallic doors slid open.

Ducky looked around curiously at the new office. He took in the pale cream walls, not at all similar to the burnt orange that typically decorated the bullpen. He observed the desks, which were no longer separated by walls. Most were bare of anything other than the necessities; no pictures, no decorations.

Ducky allowed the younger man to lead him over to a blocked off section of the bullpen that held none other than the infamous Team Gibbs.

The setup was different, the desks were smaller and closer together with less filing cabinets spacing them out, they didn't have much to file now that everything from before the explosion was destroyed except for the files McGee saved on Dearing.

There were three desks here instead of four, two next to each other facing the third.

As the two approached they saw that Tony and Ziva were at the two desks that were next to each other both typing furiously and quickly, obviously wanting to finish quickly.

Gibbs desk was empty and clear of paperwork.

Ziva looked up, using her ninja skills to sense their approach. She stood up to great them, Ducky more specifically, once they got closer. Tony heard her stand and looked up to find the autopsy gremlin and Ducky standing before him. DiNozzo decided to stand and greet them as well.

"Hey gremlin," Tony greeted casually wink a wink. "Hey Ducky, how ya' feelin?"

Tony stepped closer to the older man as he talked clapping him on the back as he did.

"I am better than I was yesterday, and that is good enough for me, Anthony." The doctor said, finally happy to be around family once again.

ZIva smiled to him and wrapped him in a gentle hug.

"It's good to have you back Ducky, but I presume this is just a visit? It is much too soon for you to be working again is it not?" Ziva asked curiously.

Ducky smiled back to her noting and reveling in the concern that was evident on her face.

"Nothing to worry about, Ziva. I won't be working for another few days; I assure you I will wait until I am strong enough to come back." He explained.

Ziva nodded and stepped back from the embrace.

"Now how are all of you?" Ducky asked.

Tony spoke up first. "Well Tim's still in the hospital and Abby is there every chance she gets. He'll be getting out of there tomorrow, but he has to stay with someone for a few more days, just in case. I'm handling it, things are a bit different," he sent a short glance to Ziva, "but I'm doing okay. And Gibbs is pretty much just his typical functional mute, silver fox, never-show-any-sign-of-f-"

Tony stopped when he noticed Jimmy's eyes widen and the amused smile fell from his face. Taking a breath he stilled for a moment, finally noticing the feeling of someone literally breathing down his neck. "Hi, boss. How was your coffee run?" Tony said, not turning around but mentally bracing himself for the head-slap that was sure to come.

"Good to have you back, Duck." Gibbs said. He was just starting to walk around the group to get to his desk when Tony felt the familiar sting on the back of his head.

Jimmy chuckled lightly at Tony, who jumped slightly at the head-slap. No matter how much he tried to prepare himself, even after all these years, he couldn't help but flinch at the contact.

Ducky stepped over to stand in front of the team leader's desk.

"Hello Jethro."

"Hi, Duck. Whatcha' doing here?" Gibbs asked. He knew that Ducky shouldn't be at work so soon yet. Even though Gibbs himself would likely try to get back to work before he should, it didn't mean he would encourage it for others.

"Just thought I'd stop by for a visit. I won't be able to work for another three days or so."

Gibbs nodded at that before looking past the doctor and staring down his two remaining agents.

"Get back to work. You can leave when you finish your paperwork."

The team had wrapped up the case quickly, so Gibbs, who was feeling rather generous today, figured he'd let them off early.

Tony and Ziva nodded and scurried back to their desks. Seeing as everyone up in the bullpen was hard at work, desperate for an evening off, James and the doctor decided to see if Abby was in her lab.

Jimmy had a pretty good guess as to why they two wanted to get off work so badly. So far in their relationship, they had constantly been with the rest of the team. He could safely guess that they hadn't had am evening alone together, let alone an actual date yet.

When they got to Abby's new lab, which she had to share with another forensic scientist, there was no music and the machines on one side of the lab were off. The other side of the lab still had two computers on and a short blonde man was sitting behind his desk.

Jimmy figured this was the man Abby had to share her lab with.

Now he could see why Abby would happily abandon her lab as often as possible to be with her friend instead. The man behind the desk sat perfectly straight, quietly typing a lab report with stern, even strokes.

Abby, with her loud music and eccentric style would be able to deal with such an obscurely strict presence in her workspace.

"Hey, um..." Jimmy trailed off, realizing he didn't know the man's name.

"William." Of course he would have such a typically bland name like that, not even bothering to go by Will, or Bill, or Billy. No, William suited the man just perfectly.

"Hi William, I was looking for Abby. Is she around?" Jimmy asked politely.

"No, she left around noon with a big stack of paperwork. I doubt she'll be back for the rest of the day."

"Okay, thanks." Jimmy answered before turning back to Ducky.

"Wanna head down to autopsy? I have a bit of paperwork for the case I have to finish up, then if you'd like we can go to the hospital and visit Abby and Tim?" Jimmy said.

"Alright, well once you finish your work I would love to visit them." Ducky replied.

It didn't take long for James to finish his reports. After that Ducky and he spent a few hours with Tim and Abby. Gibbs stopped by when he got off work, but it wasn't long before he left in favor of his boat and his bourbon.

At around six o'clock they decided to head home to see Breena and get some dinner.

They spent the night chatting over tea with the faint sounds of a movie in the background.


	11. Chapter 11

It had been ten days since Dearing's bomb went off.

Ten days since light exploded across the sky.

Ten days since glass went flying through the bullpen, knocking Tim to the ground and spearing him along the way.

Ten days since Gibbs and Abby were sent to the floor, Abby clutching Bert and a caf-pow, and Gibbs doing his best to cover her.

Ten days since the ceiling caved in on Tony and Ziva and the elevator went tumbling down two floors before the emergency brakes kicked in.

Ten days since Jimmy and Breena married on the beautiful soft-sanded beaches of south Florida, legally binding their love for one another with the two small words "I do".

Ten days since Ducky received a call that struck fear into his very core and had him collapsing to the ground.

Ten days.

To the team it felt more like ten months. That day had changed them. They grew so much closer in their recovering of the incident. They were together every day, just as they always were before, but now the air held something different than it did before. They were stronger as a team, closer as friends, and happier as a family.

Ducky was now back to work at NCIS. He a retirement plan set up for him to leave NCIS next year. His plan insured that the new head medical examiner to replace him would be none other than Dr. James Michael Palmer. As of now Ducky was still staying with the newlywed Palmers until he felt safe enough to live on his own without the constantly nagging fear of a relapse.

Jimmy and Breena had never been happier, they loved having Ducky around, he was just about the best company you could have, but more importantly they had each other. To have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do they part.

Tim was now out of the hospital. When he left he was told he had to stay with someone for a day or two, just in case. It been almost a week now and he was still staying at Abby's. Nobody knew if it was him wanting to stay there and be pampered, her wanting him there because she was protective, or both of them just wanting to be together for an entirely different reason.

Nobody questioned them about it, but Jimmy had bet twenty dollars in the office pool saying that they would be back together in two week's time.

Tony and Ziva were without a doubt in love. They had been for a while, as everyone knew, but since they told each other it was written clear enough on their faces for all to see. They weren't planning on coming out to the team for a little while longer, but everyone quickly noticed a change in the dynamic duo, so they decided to tell them instead of letting everyone figure it out on their own.

At first, although Gibbs gave them his blessing, he still worried it would affect their work. Now, however, he saw that he couldn't have been more wrong. They were stronger now as partners, anticipating the other's movements in the field. Now in an interrogation they could practically read each other's minds, able to play off of each other and finish the other's sentences. They were completely in sync.

Gibbs himself had changed quite a bit since the incident. He acted like a father to his team more often. The bomb wasn't necessarily the only reason for his change in heart.

The day after Dearing was caught Gibbs went off on his own and re-arrested Ryan's husband. He called Samantha that night to tell her the good news. She was ecstatic, she and Parker were able to go home and go back to normal.

She and Gibbs had silently made their relationship official. Gibbs started to get to know Parker as well; turns out he's not too bad with wood work. He came down and helped out with the boat twice already.

Right now Abby, Ziva, Tony, Tim, Jimmy, Ducky, Breena, Parker, and Samantha were all sitting in Gibbs' living room. His dining table wasn't big enough for everyone anymore so they were having dinner in his living room. Abby, Tim, and Ducky were sitting on the sofa. Jimmy, Breena, Tony, Ziva, and Parker sat on the floor around the coffee table. Gibbs and Samantha took the reclining chairs next to the sofa.

They all had plates in front of them with fire-grilled steak, beans, fries, and beer. Well, except for Parker of course, he had a soda instead.

They had just sat down with their food and were about to dig in when Gibbs cleared his throat. It wasn't anything too loud, but everyone in their little group knew when Gibbs had something to say, you listened.

Once everyone turned to him, Gibbs spoke up holding his beer bottle.

"Before you start eating, I wanted to thank you guys for coming. It's not often I tell you guys this, but I'm proud to say I know each and every one of you. I'm glad you're all okay and recovering from the incident." They all knew exactly what _incident_ he was talking about. "If I've learned anything from this it's that we have loved ones not to be taken granted for." He cast a lingering glance to each face in to room, "Semper fi"

"Semper fi!"

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**Thanks so much for everyone who read and reviewed for this story! I love you guys! Hope you liked it:)**


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